


My Desert Flower

by Spicyasshole



Category: Nomad of Nowhere (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, F/F, Flashbacks, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Winky Face, i promise they'll get together just gimme a minute, oh nooo wheres the nomad, skout being babey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 09:28:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spicyasshole/pseuds/Spicyasshole
Summary: Damn her sensitive body, she was going to be a burden the next day if she couldn’t sleep, and disappointing Toth was not an option. Peering over to the left, Skout noticed Toth lying peacefully with nothing but a blanket around her waist and her night clothes to keep her warm. How? Skout decided to investigate. She half-crawled over to Toth’s side and… oh. Oh my. Toth radiated heat like a furnace. It was so warm and inviting that Skout couldn’t help herself from snuggling up against her. Much better.“Hm?” Toth grunted, surprised by Skout’s uninvited presence. She moved a bit. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. I’m in trouble. Instead of pushing Skout away, however, she turned towards her and pulled the redhead into her embrace, tucking her chin over the smaller woman’s head. Toth was so warm and cozy. Skout hadn’t realized how soft her skin was, or how gentle her hands were, or how relaxing Toth’s little puffs of breath were to listen to until that point. This was the most personal Skout had ever been with Toth. She found it easy to doze off after that, counting every beat of the Y’Dahlah woman’s heart until she fell asleep. It was the best she had slept in a long time.





	My Desert Flower

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of this fic! I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to go with this so just hang in there lol

Things had changed. Toth had inherited the throne of the Oasis under the command of El Rey. Skout and the Nomad became the most wanted criminals in Nowhere, taking out Governor's champions one by one. Red Manuel, banished from the Oasis, planned to exact his revenge on Toth and take over the Oasis. Things weren’t all that bad though. The Y'Dahlah people, as well as the people of the Oasis, were given all the water they needed. Nowhere certainly was quieter ever since the Nomad’s trail went dry. Rumors were spread that the Nomad was no more, but of course, Toth was having none of it. She, unable to adventure outside of the Oasis as often, appointed Null as the head of the Dandy Lions and continued the hunt for the Nomad, and, more importantly, Skout. Toth didn’t know what she was going to do with her when she caught her. It was too much emotional baggage to think about, all she knew was that she missed Skout. Missed her badly. Toth had to be strong for her people, but it was so hard without Skout. Skout was her emotional support, her only voice of reason in a heated situation. She needed her back, and nothing was going to stop her. Not even El Rey.

\---------------

“Don Toth! News from the Dandy Lions! They have returned from the Iron Border with a report.” Toth sat up on the throne.  
“Open the doors.” She waved her hand dismissively towards the doors in front of her as the guards pulled them open. Toth tried to stay hopeful, but it was hard when every report so far had been failure and requests for more provisions. This was likely another bust. A trail that leads nowhere.  
“We found the Nomad.” Toth felt her jaw go slack. What?  
“What? Where is he?” Toth felt herself trembling as she stood up halfway from the throne. This was it. This was the key to getting back everything she needed. This was the key to getting Skout back.  
“That’s kind of the thing…” Null pulled out a glowing yellow stone on a string. “We lit him on fire. This was the only part left. And the fascinating part is-” Null set the rock in a box. All eyes were on him as the box began to shake. He set the box down and clapped. The box grew considerably. He clapped again, and the box shrank.  
“It was the stone all along. It seems the user can manipulate the object that the stone is touching.” He clapped once more and the box lay still. Toth was shocked. So that was it. The Nomad was gone. But Toth was fuming.  
“Here, uh, Don Toth. You can-”  
“I wanted the Nomad alive! You fools can’t follow even the simplest instructions, can you? And where is Skout? Was she not accompanying the Nomad?”  
“That is the problem, Don Toth. She ran away and jumped down a cliff with some magical rope. We couldn’t pursue her. As for the Nomad, he continued to evade us at every turn. We tried everything we could, but by the time we realized that he would burn after trapping him in a flaming thicket, it was too late.” Santi explained, cowering at Toth’s clear fury. Her knuckles turned white around the handle of her ax.  
“What… did you… just say? You idiots!” Before anybody saw it coming, her ax was embedded in the wall, inches from Santi’s face. He visibly swallowed.  
“How the hell are we supposed to give that to El Rey? It’s a rock! If he finds out that the Nomad is dead, he’ll have us executed!” Toth was yelling at this point, and the entire room buzzed with tension. Nobody made Toth mad unless they craved death. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone’s blood was spilled in that room, either.  
“Our apologies, Don Toth. We will not fail you again. What are your next orders?” The Dandies took a knee and awaited further instruction. Toth took several deep breaths to calm herself. It was one of the many breathing exercises Skout had taught her long ago, when they were still out together, searching for the Nomad.  
“Search out Skout. She cannot go far without the Nomad. Bring her to me, and do whatever it takes to make sure she comes back alive. If anything happens to her, I’ll have your heads. Am I understood?” She eyed Null as they all nodded.  
“Get out of here. Don’t come back until you have what I’m looking for.” The men nod again solemnly and usher themselves out in the politest way possible, as to not anger her more.  
The room was empty. Toth stood from the throne and picked up the box, eying the stone curiously. If it can make things grow and shrink on command, then… Toth dropped the box. She could make an endless water supply. She could make an endless water supply! Busting open the doors to the throne room, Toth ran up the stairs until she reached the top of the water reservoir. Pausing, she pondered the stone for a moment, noticing it’s glowing, crystalline beauty. This may bring many people the water they need. She dropped the crystal into the water, now more shallow with constant use, and clapped.  
Oh, if her people could see her now.  
The water swelled up to the edge of the reservoir. It was clear, clean, and plentiful. Things were starting to look up.  
“Maybe… maybe magic isn’t so bad after all…” Toth pondered, gazing at the picturesque pool before her.  
“It’s too bad the Nomad had to be killed before I realized so.”  
\---------------  
“How far could she have possibly gone? We’ve already searched the entire iron border and found nothing.” Santi complained. The sweltering heat, unbearable enough on its own, was made worse by the dense uniform of the Dandy Lion. With seemingly endless desert on all sides, it was needless to say that the group was in a bad mood.  
“We should go south, then. If her plan was to eliminate all of the champions, I’d bet that her first stop would be the Governor of the North, since his domain isn't too far from here.” A grunt of agreement signified their approval as the team turned their wagons around and started leaving their dust trails. The Dandies had been a more cheerful bunch since Red Manuel’s exile, though cheerful may not be the right word for it. Obviously, these bounty hunters weren’t the happiest folk, but being relieved of Red was like finally receiving pay after a long night of babysitting. 

In the distance, a frock of orange hair paired with cargo pants rode upon a horse into the land of El Rey. She was going fast, too fast for the Dandies and their canvas wagons to catch up to. However, the road was running out. Soon she would run out of provisions, and the bounty hunters would catch up to her.  
\---------------  
Skout was tired. Her water flask was nearly empty, her food supply vanquished. Ripsie, the horse she was riding, was tired and thirsty, and her once strong canter was slowed to a pathetic, shakey walk. She reached her hand over the horse’s neck and gave her a reassuring pat.  
“C’ mon, girl, we’re almost there.” Skout didn’t stand a chance in her current state against the Northern Champion, and she knew it. Yet she persisted as if it didn’t mean anything, because she was hopeful. In all honesty, however, Skout knew her doom awaited at the Northern Governor’s domain. Nothing was left for her in Nowhere. Toth hated her, her family didn’t want her, all that she awaited was a painful death at the point of a bounty hunter’s knife. If she was going to go out, why not go out with a bang? At the least, she could try to eliminate the champion, and if she dies, well, it was a life well lived.  
The sound of hooves hammering over the cracked earth woke Skout from her daydream.  
“There she is! Surround her!” She knew that voice. It was Null, the other Y’Dahlah of the group, leading the bounty hunters around her in a circle. Several bows were drawn, and the rest had knives, inching towards her. Oh boy.  
“Dismount your horse and put your hands in the air! We don’t want to hurt you, but we will if you make us!” Null rode his wagon around the outside of the circle as the men drew closer. There was a dead silence. Skout had a decision to make.  
“Fine, fine, you win.” It wasn’t a hard decision. Skout submitted and dismounted her horse, placing her hands on her head. The yellow-clad bounty hunters bound her wrists with rope, lugged her into the back of Null’s wagon and secured her bindings to the two frontmost poles before going back to their own horses and riding back to the Oasis. She fell into a peaceful sleep, hoping for a good dream to get her through the hardships she was about to face.  
\---------------  
After another long day of searching for the Nomad, the Dandy Lions settled down on the outskirts of a cliff range to get some shut-eye before another day of trailblazing. The inside of Toth’s wagon was filled with pillows and a few plush blankets, courtesy of Don Paragon. This particular night was colder than usual, forcing the group to pair up in sleeping arrangements to preserve warmth. Skout was paired with Toth, which she was grateful for, considering how bad the men smelled and how many blankets she had compared to the others. The redhead was bundled up on her side of the wagon, but something was bugging her. She was still so cold. Rolling herself up in more blankets, she tried to drift off. No results. Damn her sensitive body, she was going to be a burden the next day if she couldn’t sleep, and disappointing Toth was not an option. Peering over to the left, Skout noticed Toth lying peacefully with nothing but a blanket around her waist and her night clothes to keep her warm. How? Skout decided to investigate. She half-crawled over to Toth’s side and… oh. Oh my. Toth radiated heat like a furnace. It was so warm and inviting that Skout couldn’t help herself from snuggling up against her. Much better.  
“Hm?” Toth grunted, surprised by Skout’s uninvited presence. She moved a bit. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. I’m in trouble. Instead of pushing Skout away, however, she turned towards her and pulled the redhead into her embrace, tucking her chin over the smaller woman’s head. Toth was so warm and cozy. Skout hadn’t realized how soft her skin was, or how gentle her hands were, or how relaxing Toth’s little puffs of breath were to listen to until that point. This was the most personal Skout had ever been with Toth. She found it easy to doze off after that, counting every beat of the Y’Dahlah woman’s heart until she fell asleep. It was the best she had slept in a long time.  
“... skout…..Skout!” Woken from her rest, she found not Toth, but Null staring her down.  
“Prisoner. We have arrived at the Oasis. Guards are coming to take you to your cell. Don’t try to pull anything funny, we may have orders not to harm you, but the guards do not.” He whipped his head around to the sound of shouting outside the wagon. The ponytail hit Skout in the face. Rude.  
“The prisoner is in here!” He stole one final glance at Skout before dismounting the vehicle and showing the guards inside. Skout cooperated and was delivered to her cell peacefully. For whatever reason, though, they didn’t take her to see Don Toth first. Maybe they were due to speak later? Oh well. All Skout was concerned about at the moment was food and water. Her journey had left her hungry and severely dehydrated, and she wasn’t going to last much longer without it.  
\---------------  
“Don Toth! News from the Dandy Lions! They have captured Skout unharmed. She is now in the dungeon. The guards are awaiting instruction, ma’am.” Toth nodded, before rising from the throne.  
“Get her food and water. I’m going down to talk to the prisoner.”  
“Don, if I may speak freely, I suggest that you send a guard down with your message inst-”  
“Did I stutter?” Toth glared at the guard and flashed the blade of her ax. That was enough to scare him into submission.  
“Y-yes, Don Toth. I’ll send down provisions immediately.” He bowed before hurrying out the door to make the food for the prisoner. She sat back down. Why was it so difficult for her to acquire the respect she deserves without resorting to threats? Was it because she was Y’Dahlah? Or perhaps because she was a woman? Whatever the reason, Toth was not afraid to do whatever it took to become a respected leader.  
The guard came back into the room.  
“The prisoner has been fed, ma’am. She is ready to see you.” Toth stood once again and thanked the guard before going down to the dungeons through the secret back door. She had discovered it by accident while refurbishing the throne room. It was a spiral staircase leading directly to the dungeon, which was faster than winding through each room until she reached the bottom.  
Each step she took in the dungeon softly echoed. It really gave Toth a sense of how empty this place was. At the far end of the corridor, a girl with a ratty shirt and cargo pants sat in the corner. This was it. Toth unlocked the cell and stepped inside.  
\---------------  
It was another dark, cool night. The stars glittered above, out of reach. Skout could only admire their beauty from her cell window. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep Skout determined. No matter what, things will turn out just fine. Sometimes it may take time, but it was going to be ok.  
Skout was awakened from her trance as she heard the cell door open and close behind her.  
“Toth!” Skout scrambled to her feet and raced towards her, arms open for a hug. It was Toth! It was her chance to apologize for being such a dunderhead, and then Toth would forgive her and things would go back to the way they were before! It was a perfect plan. What she didn’t expect was the swift blow of Toth’s fist to her jaw. The force of the punch sent her sprawling, and when Skout raised her hand to her cheek, she found it numb. Only now, silenced and hurt, could Skout see the rage and pain dancing in Toth’s golden eyes. She was breathing hard, clenching her fists at her side as her eyes welled with tears.  
“You left me! I thought you said you cared about me! Locking me in a cell, siding with a criminal, breaking my heart? Was it worth it? Are you proud of what you’ve achieved? The Nomad is dead now, and I’m soon to follow! It’s all your fault. If you really care about me, prove it!” Toth kicks Skout in the ribs, hard. A rewarding crack resonates within the cell as she doubles over in pain.  
“Say something! Say something, dammit! You’re weak! Stand and face me!” Tears were flying from her cheeks as she kicked Skout over and yanked her up by her hair, before punching her again and busting her lip. The Y’Dahlah woman dropped her and kicked her over. Skout was curled up in the corner, silently sobbing, but not fighting back. Why?  
Toth stopped and looked down. Her knuckles were covered with splotches of blood. She noticed how her chest heaved and fell with every aching breath, and how much she was trembling. The face of a warrior was wet, stripped of lies, showing pure, raw emotional fury. As good as this felt, to finally show Skout how she made her feel, what she had to go through, it was doing Toth no good on the road to becoming more mentally stable.  
“So… that’s it, huh.” She looked down once more at the redhead, hiding in the corner as her body was racked with sobs.  
“Pathetic.” Toth spat as she left, slamming the cell door behind her.  
\-------------  
Skout wasn’t treated well in the dungeon. Scarcely fed and abused, Skout took to sleeping her problems away. The only issue with that is that she only seemed to dream about the past, evoking new emotional springs that Skout did not need at that moment.  
Toth had a little home in the Oasis. Don Paragon provided it, cheap as he was, so she could always have a place to stay if the search for the Nomad was going dry. On this particular night, while her crew was staying overnight at the oasis as the wagons were being resupplied, Skout made a few bad decisions. Made a bad bet, lost, and had the shit kicked out of her when she couldn’t pay up. Hobbling down the dusty road, she found herself at Toth’s door. Why would this be a good idea? To anybody else, she most certainly would have turned her away. Skout looked homeless and beat, a regal woman such as Toth with no sympathetic instinct whatsoever would turn up her nose at her, and rightfully so. The redhead hadn’t knocked yet. It wasn’t too late to back out. Yet her knuckles rested just before the wooden door, hesitant.  
Before Skout had made up her mind, the door slammed open. It was Toth. When she saw her, her face softened. She pulled her into a tight embrace and wordlessly invited her inside.  
The place wasn’t big, but it was cozy and felt oddly inviting for a place that didn’t seem to be used often. There was a dark blue couch pushed into a corner near a bookshelf on the side wall. A blanket decorated with intricate patterns was draped over the center of the sofa. Across from that was a little kitchen with a gas stove and wooden prep station. Atop the stove was some soup bubbling in a cast iron pot. It smelled delicious.  
“Sit down. I’ll go get my first aid kit.” Toth let go of Skout and went rummaging through a closet to her right. The couch was plush and smelled just like Toth.  
“Here.” she pulled down a small latched box and set it on the ground, then entered the kitchen. Silverware clinked as Toth poured some of the soup into a stone bowl and brought it to Skout.  
“It’s coconut curry. A family recipe.” Handing off the bowl, she began rummaging through the box to find bandages.  
“Thank you, Toth.” The warrior froze, but only for a brief moment.  
“O-of course… Skout.” She looked away for a moment.  
“Just… please promise me that you won’t entertain any more dumb fights? I’m not going to be here for you forever, and if you continue in this reckless manner, you could be badly injured, or worse…” Toth’s voice cracked, and she looked back at the medical supplies.  
“I will. For you, Toth.” They shared a bittersweet gaze for a few moments until it became awkward. Toth coughed.  
“So, I’m going to clean your leg, okay? It’ll sting a bit, but if we don’t do it, your wounds could become infected.” Skout nodded as Toth started picking out pieces of glass and scrubbing her skin with a cloth.  
The sound of metal scraping against stone echoed through the dungeon, awakening Skout from her dream.  
“You hoo? Sleepyhead? Your daily meal is here.” He kicked the metal tray into her cell and left.  
Oh… those dreams were becoming problematic.  
\-------------  
It was another long day to waste. The sun was blazing, the Oasis was full, and the town was quiet. Toth had nothing to do, so nobody could really blame her when she nodded off.  
“Skout! Move it!”  
“Huh? Toth?” The rocks above them in the canyon were loose, and it only took whatever beast was up there a small nudge to knock the boulders loose and kill the two of them. Skout was an idiot. Her yelling scared the large… bird? It flew away with a screech. The sound that occurred next could only be described as a groan from the depths of the earth. Canyon walls quivered, and Toth was forced to either find shelter or die. Was that a small cave? It wasn’t that close, but the boulders were. With a running start, Toth jumped at Skout and knocked them both across the ground, managing to roll the two into the cave before the rocks came crashing down. Only at that moment did the size of the cave really become clear. It could hardly be considered a cave, the indent was only about five feet deep and too short to stand in. That was just a long way of explaining that Toth was perched over Skout and couldn’t move. Sharing breath for a moment, they locked eyes. Awkward. Toth tried to move away and grunted as her shoulder slammed into stone. The exit was sealed by a boulder, and hardly any light shone through. As if that wasn’t great enough, Toth’s foot was wedged between the stone and the canyon, so no moving aside. Wonderful.  
If the awkward atmosphere wasn’t enough, it was also starting to get hot. With Skout pressed into Toth and both of them breathing the same air, their combined body heat was very unpleasant. Skout tried to wiggle over to the side, but was trapped under Toth’s legs that she conveniently couldn’t use.  
“Huff… There has to be a way out. That darned boulder is too heavy to push, but I’m sure the others will find us soon.” Skout said as she half-kicked at the rock with her free foot.  
“Oh, forget this. I’m not staying like this for several days.” Toth’s arms gave out as she rested her whole body on Skout. Her head lay over the redhead’s shoulder as she tried to sleep. She couldn’t sleep, but she was great at bullshitting her way through things until they worked out, so this was no different.  
Skout groaned beneath her. She continued to pretend to be asleep. Toth didn’t put up with complaining and wasn’t about to start then. When Skout lightly grasped her face, it almost scared her out of her sleeping act, but she managed to stay convincing. When the other planted a soft kiss on the corner of Toth’s mouth, however, Toth nearly jumped out of her skin. Skout went from warm to hot, red as a firetruck as she turned her head away and hid her flush in her hands. Toth was propped back up, likely just as red, but with… lets say, a very shocked expression. Neither of the fools knew how to address the other.  
Thank El Rey for a convenient rescue. Just as the awkwardness was reaching its peak, a long metal bar slid in and pried the boulder away from the wall. Shouts from men in yellow were heard just beyond the rockslide. The two scrambled up, poignantly avoiding eye contact with each other.  
“Toth! Don Toth!” These daydreams were so odd. She knew they were just memories, but it felt so real.  
“Hm?”  
“You have self-defense training in five minutes, ma’am.”  
“Alright. Shoo, I’ll head out once I dress for the occasion.” The guard bowed and left.  
Damn… Toth needed to de-stress.  
“Guard!” A guard meekly entered the room.  
“Fetch Jethro of the Dandy Lions. He should be in the city.” The guard vigorously nodded and left the room. He was a mute, like the nomad. She had trained him. Though small and shy, he could pack a punch. Toth remembered admiring his persistence many years before, because no matter how many times she would knock him into the dirt, he would stand back up again. She needed a bit of that at the moment.


End file.
